A man from Toronto was arrested and several people were injured as the result of a protest at an Eritrean event near Kitchener on Saturday, according to Waterloo regional police.
At around 7 p.m., police arrived at the Kitchener-Waterloo Croatian Club on Shantz Road in Woolwich as protesters were at an event called Achievements of Women, according to Chief Mark Crowell.
“Officers arrived at the K-W Croatian club and located individuals carrying wooden sticks, metal rods and large rocks,” he told reporters on Monday.
Police say there were 100 protesters on hand while another 200 people were at the club for the event.
“Members of the arriving group blocked the roadway with their vehicles and disrupted attempts by police to peacefully intervene,” Crowell said. “Rocks were thrown between the two conflicting groups and directly at police officers.”
He said that a number of cruisers and vehicles were damaged during the conflict.
“Numerous crowd control tactics were utilized by responding officers to separate the groups and resolve the conflict,” the chief said.
He said that OPP also arrived to close off the streets, which were closed for four hours as the situation was being dealt with.
“Despite the efforts to control access points of entry along the roadway, individuals continued to arrive on foot through the surrounding fields,” Crowell said. “Police had received information that several hundred individuals from surrounding communities were headed to Waterloo Region to join this conflict.”
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He said that while several officers were struck with rocks, none were injured, although several other people needed treatment at the scene by paramedics.
“I would describe as a chaotic scene, there may have been people who were hurt, that we’re not aware of that did not immediately present themselves to us,” Crowell said.
Police say a 29-year-old man from Toronto was arrested and is facing a charge of assault with a weapon.
“We anticipate additional charges will be laid as the investigation continues,” Crowell said.
While the clash between protesters and guests of the event occurred at around 7 p.m., Crowell said there were a couple of false starts beforehand.
“At approximately 3:50 p.m. on February 24th, our service received information that a planned event involving members of the Eritrean community was being held at a location in Dearborn Place in Waterloo,” he told reporters. “We were advised that upwards of 500 individuals would be attending to disrupt and protest the event.
“Officers attended the Dearborn Place location and encountered a large group of individuals outside the venue, wearing light blue clothing and carrying flags and wooden sticks.”
A similar situation unfolded a couple of hours later near the Cambridge Centre Mall, according to Crowell.
Saturday’s demonstration is not the first that has been seen in Canada over the past year.
There were also issues with violence at Eritrean events in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton at the end of last summer.
There have also been similar incidents involving the Eritrean communities in the United States, Sweden and Germany.
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